BOLTON'S spokesman for the Catholic Church believes the celibacy rules in the priesthood will not be changed under the present Pope. The debate over whether priests should be allowed to marry was prompted by comments from the Catholic Primate for England and Wales, Cardinal Basil Hume.

It follows the scandal surrounding the Bishop of Argyll, the Rt Rev Roderick Wright who quit over his friendship with a divorcee.

Cardinal Hume confirmed that the 900-year-old law which was last reviewed at the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s could be changed by any Pope or General Council.

He said the rules meant many "excellent" people were being lost because they wanted to marry - but also insisted there were good reasons for keeping the no-sex rule, and claimed marriage was no less difficult than celibacy.

Bolton's Roman Catholic Dean, the Rev Frank McCauley, said he believed the law would be discussed in the future but did not believe there would be any change under Pope John Paul II.

And he does not believe that existing priests, who have already made a commitment to a life of celibacy, should be allowed to marry.

He said: "Celibacy is a church law and it can be changed. Whether there is an urgency about it is another question and I don't think there will be change under the present Pope.

"It may well be in that in years to come that this discussion will be taken up again by the whole church.

"I would reiterate Cardinal Hume's comments that his own vocation was based on Christ as a celibate and that we live in a society preoccupied by sex and it is no bad thing to have people who can witness to love without sex.

"I don't envisage any change applying to older clergy like myself who have already made a commitment to God. The fact that some people cannot live up to that commitment is not an argument for removing it.

"But perhaps it should be looked at and discussed for the future. There has been a greater emphasis on the teaching of the centrality of the Eucharist and that may be denied to people because of a lack of priests.

"I have the highest regard for marriage and most Catholic clergy have the highest respect for our married brethren in other Christian churches who are giving a wonderful witness to their priesthood through marriage."

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